In water skiing, the user mounts a pair of skis, and is pulled by a boat at the end of a tow line, generally at high speed so that he can execute various maneuvers on the water with his skis. To pull him in this way, however, the tow boat must first raise him out of the water, or away from a floating object such as a dock, and then progressively accelerate him to the speeds at which he can execute the desired maneuvers. Meanwhile, the user may find it necessary to squat or crouch on his skis until the tow boat has given him sufficient forward momentum to enable him to straighten his legs, lean back on the skis, and stand fully erect in relation to them. Moreover, as he proceeds into open water and executes loops and turns on the same, the skier may find it necessary to once again bend one or both legs at the knees to enable him to keep his balance while he makes the turns; and in all events, as the tow boat comes to a halt, he may find it necessary to resume the crouched position he had before, at startup, because only in that position will he have sufficient stability to remain on the skis as the boat comes to a halt.
In the past, whether he was standing erect or with one or both legs bent at the knees, the user had little or nothing to assist his ankles in keeping his body erect and in maintaining his stability on the skis. In fact, his ankles were wholly unsupported, either by means on the skis themselves, or by means on his feet, such as some kind of boot which could afford lateral support for his ankles. Until the present invention, only so-called "bindings" were provided for mounting the skis, and these were essentially rubberized wraps with which he could "strap" his feet to the tops of the skis, in much the same manner as one would strap down an article on a sled, or to the top of a car. They made no provision for the "superstructure" of his feet, that is, the ankles which interconnect the feet with the lower legs. These were left to freestand above his feet, devoid of any support, fore or aft or to the sides of his legs. Meanwhile, in crouching, or in raising himself from a crouch, or in making turns with the boat, his ankles were subjected to considerable stress, and were subject to undergoing inversion and eversion, upon either of which he might pitch to one side or the other, and into the water, because he could no longer keep himself erect.